Inception:Untitled So Far
by yoricktheskull
Summary: Life is going on after the job but Ariadne's finding it hard to adjust to her old life. When an attack on the team changes everything she's thrust back into the world of Inception...and the world of Arthur.
1. Chapter 1

The sky was a pale peach as the sun painted its way below the forest of dense green that surrounded the courtyard, taking the daylight with it. Leaving the only the fireflies and soft white lights draped over the rosebushes to guide the dancers through their steps. The courtyard was small and elegant with its Greek statues and gothic pillars hovering at the edge of the dance floor. The dancers were just as stunning moving with grace and perfect timing over the ivory marble floors, wearing dazzling long evening gowns and striking black and white tuxedos. All were sporting masks of different designs and colours, each portraying a different characteristic. Love was dancing with Fear and Passion with Anguish. The music was warm and romantic, a timeless waltz from an era long past but still remembered by those now too old to dance the steps themselves.

"You look beautiful tonight."

Ariadne looked up into the eyes of a man who even with the mask she recognized instantly. He was tall and lean, looking right at home in his tux with his jet-black hair combed back neatly in its usual style.

"Hello Arthur" She smiled at him the familiar warmth she felt in his presence filled her body as she looked at him. It was so nice to see him again. Arthur returned the smile, his brown eyes shining at her behind his mask. It was a deep red shade, startlingly intense against his dark features but unlike the other dancers his mask did not portray an emotion. She wondered if her mask had a face either.

"Would you like to dance?" Arthur offered his hand to her and swept Ariadne onto the dance floor, losing themselves amidst the flurry of masks and gowns. Ariadne looked down at her own to see that it she was wearing a delicate black dress with clean lines and a dramatic strap that clung to her shoulder, the fabric folded onto its self like a pleat. The back was cut low to reveal a dusting of freckles across her shoulder blades, left over from her summer holiday with her parents in Maine.

"Are my shoes that interesting?" Arthur inquired teasingly making her blush.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm not a very entertaining dance partner." She giggled eyeing a woman who was staring at Arthur as they whirled by. "You know Fury has been checking you out for awhile maybe you could dance with her." Arthur spun her around with ease his hand never leaving her waist as he held her.

"No she's a much too aggressive dancer. I prefer a partner who trusts me enough to let me lead." The song ended and everyone stepped back to give a round of applause. Ariadne clapped as the next song played to a much slower tune. Arthur winked at her and took her hand again, pulling her closer so that she could smell his cologne as she rested her head on his shoulder. They danced in silence and Ariadne closed her eyes and smiled enjoying her moment in Arthur's arms. Suddenly Arthur stopped them and when she looked up at him questioningly he was wearing a thoughtful expression on his face. He reached down and traced his fingertips so gently along her jaw line that she could barely feel the pressure of the timid motion. He then lifted her chin and lowered his own to whisper in her ear, his lips brushing the corner of hers and skimming her cheek.

"Ariadne" he murmured softly, making her quiver. "How will you hold onto reality if you don't have your totem with you?" Ariadne jerked back fearfully and ran her hands frantically along the seams of her dress. No pockets. Arthur smiled and stepped back, melding into the crowd and leaving her panicked and looking about in every direction wondering where she could have put it.

Suddenly the other dancer's swooped around her, trapping her in a whirling blaze of silk, their faces leering at her through their masks. Ariadne tripped and fell backwards biting back her emotions as they threatened to overwhelm her completely. Her terrified mind could only think of one thing.

Was this limbo?

A regal figure stepped from the crowd of dancers his face hidden behind a mask that appeared to be astuteness. He was incredibly tall although his shoulders sagged under the weight of his many years. He offered a hand to Ariadne and his sharp British accent pierced through her dream like an arrow to bring her crashing back to reality.

"Excuse me Ariadne but it would be nice if you would actually take notes instead of dozing of to lullaby land."

Ariadne jerked her head off her textbook and winced as her cheek, which had been firmly stuck to the pages stung. She blushed hard when she realized her entire class was staring at her, a few even trying to pass their laughter off as coughs. She ignored them and jammed her hand into her pocket, nearly sighing aloud in relief when she felt the familiar cold of her totem. She fingered the piece, feeling its unique weight in her hand. She had hollowed out her piece so that its weight was altered, known to her only and proof that she was firmly back within reality.

Miles, ever the gentleman had already resumed his lecture never turning once back to look at her. Ariadne slouched low in her chair and kept her head down for the rest of class waiting for the clock to squeeze the last few minutes out of the hour. When Miles dismissed them Ariadne leapt to her feet, eager to b the first to reach the door. Over the din Miles called out to the fleeing students

"And a word to the wise folks the firms start arriving Wednesday for intern selection. This will be your ticket into the workplace so you'd better bring everything you've got." He turned and his eyes rested on Ariadne. "Ariadne I'd like a word with you about you mid-term project."

Ariadne sighed and made her way slowly back down the aisle. She knew this wasn't about her mid-term project. Miles had graded her on the work she'd done with Cobbs instead of having her submit a design like the rest of the class. She knew for a fact that this was about something else entirely. She winced hoping she wasn't about to be scolded for falling asleep in class. She had been so busy lately catching up with her missed work. Most of the teachers were lenient when it came to student who took on "work placements" because they knew how tough competition was to be hired by firms but it wasn't just school that had been draining her lately. Ariadne slipped her hand back into her pocket and ran her hand over her totem. All she could think about was extraction and inception. It filled her every waking thought and even as her little nap had proven, her sleeping ones. At least she had been safely inside her own subconscious, not a foreign one.

"I see your little jaunt has left you tired." Miles cut straight to the chase, not looking up from the papers he was looking over. "Ariadne I know it is hard coming back from something like what Dom offered you. Once the taste gets in your mouth…" he smiled ruefully "well it's a very hard taste to forget. Sort of like going from Fruit Loops to Granola isn't it?"

Ariadne smiled "Something like that."

"Well I just hope you're being smart about it all. You'll make a brilliant architect Ariadne if that's the path you choose." Ariadne knew what Miles was implying. Cobb had told her once that there was other teams like his contracted by big corporations to extract their competitions secrets. And if word of her teams successful inception ever got out. Well then the job would get a lot more dangerous. Extraction wouldn't be enough for the businessmen of the world and every team needs an architect.

"Dom called me this morning before I left for work." Miles cut into Ariadne's thought train abruptly. So this was why he had held her back.

"He filled me in on Filipa and James, their thrilled to have him home finally." Ariadne smiled politely, waiting for Miles to reach his point. "He also asked if you were attending classes. He sounded worried about your welfare is there something you want to tell me?"

She shot him a puzzled look and shook her head. Miles frowned slightly before continuing. "Dom said you should keep your eyes peeled for trouble and if you saw any to call him." He handed her a number written in the professor's familiar scratchy handwriting. "He also added that he would be visiting the school soon. Not long just a few days to check up on you."

Ariadne frowned too, a small pucker appearing between her eyebrows. So that was why Miles was so troubled. They both knew Cobbs would never leave his children after not seeing them for so long. Even for a few days. Something was wrong and the stakes would have to be very high if Cobb was making the trip out himself.

Ariadne pondered what could possibly be the problem as she said goodbye to Miles and began the short walk back to her apartment. She pulled her coat tight around her as she made her was past the shop windows listening to her boots clicking on the cobblestones.

She loved Paris. Everything about it from the way the city bloomed beneath the shade of the Eiffel Tower to the wonderful espressos she could get at her favourite café. After the Fischer job she'd laid low for a while visiting her parents in Maine and although she'd enjoyed seeing them again she found herself restless. Here in the city she loved so much that anxiousness had lessened some but not gone away.

Ariadne bit her lip as she reached the lobby of her apartment and began climbing the ancient rickety stairs. With her share of the money from the job she could have easily bought a new place but she loved the feel of her old apartment. The large windows provided ample light for drawing and the white fleur-de-lis plastered on the wall gave it character. She dropped the keys on the table beside the door and wandered through the mess of sketches, books and models. She went over to her collection of music and slipped one of her records from its worn cover and placed it in her player. The soft voice of Carla Bruni filled the apartment while she set about making dinner.

Her music was so loud that she didn't even hear the intruder enter her apartment. She heard the whisper of the floorboards from behind at the last minute and turned to find a tall burly man looming over her. She screamed and grabbed the kitchen knife she'd been using to chop tomatoes. The man disarmed her with ease and slammed her up against the cupboards sending the vegetables she'd been cutting flying. Ariadne wasn't going down with out a fight though and lashed out forcefully. With a rush of adrenaline the slight girl kicked at her assailant, connecting firmly with his knee. The man grunted and his knee jerked causing him to loose his grip on her for a split second.

That was all she need as she dashed out from beneath him and proceeded to wildly throw everything with in her reach at the man while she sprinted for the exit. He lunged at her just as she skidded to the doorway, taking her down painfully on the wooden floors. She shrieked uncontrollably as he climbed on top of her, pinning her beneath him. She scratched and cut at every part of his skin she could lay her hands on. When his fingers closed around her neck and abruptly cut off her screams her mind struggled to comprehend what was happening.

She couldn't breathe, her lungs were protesting and black spots were swimming in front of her. No, no I can't die she thought wildly, her energy draining from her limbs. No please no! She thought of Arthur and fear ate away at the little strength she had left. Arthur.

Suddenly the man tensed and fell off her, slumping onto the floor. Ariadne coughed, gulping at the air that she struggled to breathe. A shiny pair of black shoes walked past her and kicked the man's body, which remained motionless. Then the shoes turned in her direction and she tried to get a good look at the man looming above her but it was impossible. The pain in Ariadne's head was agonizing and her lungs burned from the lack of oxygen. She was rapidly losing consciousness when she felt hands lift her up into strong arms. Is this what it feel like to fly? She wondered vaguely as the hands swung her around and carried her away.

Then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

When Ariadne came to she opened her eyes and sat up panicked and looking around. She recognized the pale yellow walls of her bedroom and sighed, relieved. Then she promptly ran to the bathroom and threw up.

As she threw up whatever remained in her stomach of lunch that day she felt those familiar cool hands brush her neck and gently gather her hair away from her face. If she hadn't been so sick she might have screamed but she could barely lift her head, let alone defend herself. When it was over she flushed and fell backwards into those hands, coughing.

"Easy love, you better take a breath before you upchuck your entire stomach."

Ariadne attempted a weak smile at the sound of that familiar English accent but her stomach protested and she gagged again. She regained her composure and tried to stand, teetering from the head rush. Eames guided her to a chair before turning towards the kitchen. Ariadne heard the squeal of her kettle and rummaging in her cupboards.

"Is that the English's answer to everything?" she asked, her vertigo subsiding. "Tea?"

Eames chuckled and returned to the room and handed her a cup of tea. She cradled it, letting the hot mug warm her fingertips.

"Well normally I'd prescribe something stronger in a situation like this but you my dear, appear to be too chaste to have a bottle scotch hanging around the place." His eyes wandered around the room before settling on the dark stain on the floor. "Shame. Not that it appears you need liquid courage though. You fought like hell."

Ariadne took in the chaos of her apartment. Papers and crushed glass littered the floor. So did most of what would have been her dinner. She felt her throat tighten as she glanced at the bloodstain on the floor thankful it wasn't hers.

"Why are you here Eames?"

The English man spread his arms and feigned a look of wide-eyed innocence. "You know I was just in the neighbourhood and I though I'd check in on my favourite architect." Ariadne frowned, a small crease appearing between her eyebrows. Eames smiled again but this time his eyes took on a darker note. "It's a good thing I did too."

"Who was he?"

Eames shrugged and gazed out the window. Who knows? He had no i.d or address on him as any assassin with half a brain does. Just another minion of a faceless corporation I suppose."

Ariadne looked him dead in the eye. "That still doesn't answer my first question Eames."

"Which was?"

"Don't give me that look. I know there's more in your head then you let on."

"Much to my parents relief " He shot her a cocky grin. "If you really must now I was sent here by Cobb. He was planning to check in on you himself but he didn't want to leave his kids. After the first attack he decided to send someone over to warn you."

"The first attack?" Panic rose slightly in her chest. So the rest of the team had been targeted as well. She instantly thought of Cobb's children. What if they'd gotten hurt? "God Eames is everyone alright?"

"Naw just a few cuts and bruises. Nothing like the shiner you've got." Ariadne reached up and touched her face wincing. She could feel the bruise forming right below her eye.

Eames walked over and crouched at her level, inspecting her face. He traced his fingertips along jawline, which caused her to jerk back suddenly. It reminded her too much of her dream. Eames stood, his eyes snapping as if he were enjoying some private joke.

"Your eye will look like a sunrise for a week or so but it shouldn't swell too terribly. You're lucky Ariadne. Very lucky."

He stood and offered a hand to her, helping her steady herself. She put the now cool tea on a nearby table and looked up at him expectantly, her face set. "So what now?"

"Thought you'd never ask bright eyes. Now, we are going to meet up with the rest of the team and figure out why someone wants the lot of us dead. I'm willing to gamble it has something to do with our little jaunt some months back."

"That's a fair wager." Ariadne headed towards her bedroom to pack, ignoring the part of her that leapt at the thought of being reunited with the team. Of another mission.

"You can call Miles from the airport." Eames called out at her retreating figure. "We've got a plane to catch."

Arthur fidgeted impatiently glancing down at his watch, silently berating himself for being impatient. Impatience got people killed. He allowed himself another glance at his watch. They were late. He kept his anxiety in check as he scanned the terminal from beneath dark sunglasses.

Eames was probably holding them up. The Englishman always knew exactly how to burrow his way under Arthur's skin. Nothing the Forger did was ever accidental although he seemed content to let everyone believe the opposite. Arthur smiled, thinking of the trait the two men shared noting that the similarities stopped abruptly there. Eames's job was the imagination. Arthur's was the details. Although he had to admit the prick had grown on him.

It bothered him however that Cobb has chosen Eames instead of Arthur to go get Ariadne. The plan was simple, certainly not something the Brit was more qualified for and Arthur had volunteered. Cobb had his reasons but this time he couldn't help but wonder if it was because Cobb had guessed his secret about Ariadne. That his emotions could compromise him.

He resisted the itch to check his watch again and instead focused on the people walking around him. There was a middle-aged man dressed in a Gucci suit power walking through the terminal yelling into his blackberry. A young woman in her early twenties was spread across three seats, lying on her stomach, flicking through the pages of a glossy magazine.

Arthur shook his head. People were so clueless. So wrapped up in their own world that they miss the one around them. He slipped his hand into his pocket and rubbed his loaded die. He was one to talk though wasn't he? After all his job required him to spend just as much time in dreams. He frowned and tightened his grip on his totem. They weren't so different after all.

"Ah my favourite American has come to greet us. My day is now complete."

Arthur turned. "You know Eames for all you're griping about us did we not kick you out of our country?"

Eames flashed him a wide, reckless grin. "And you've been going downhill ever since."

Arthur ignored him and turned to the girl standing beside Eames. She was studying his face, a curious expression on hers. He studied her fading black eye and felt anger bubble inside of him.

How dare someone touch her. Eames had called Dom after he'd come into the apartment and found her. Dom had made the mistake of putting Eames on speakerphone. Arthur remembered Cobb's alarmed look as Arthur's eyes had darkened. He was very good at holding his temper. It had not been one of those times though.

He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking. Was she disappointed that it had been Eames, not him who'd come to her rescue in France.

"Hey Arthur." She smiled at him and stepped forward gently hugging him before pulling away. Eames who gave Arthur an amused look. Arthur resisted the urge to slap the look off his face.

"Hello Ariadne, I trust you flight was well?" He winced inwardly knowing he sounded like a robot reciting the words.

"Yeah it was okay, Eames filled me in on the way. I'm telling everyone I'm going to my parents for a break after my apartment got broken into. At least that's what Miles will say." She smiled. "My parents think I'm still in France."

Her smile told Arthur that she didn't mind the lie, which made him nervous. Ariadne enjoyed what they did for a living. On the outside it must seem incredibly romantic. That is until you can never dream, like Cobb and spent every waking moment wondering if the world you were in was a dream or reality.

Arthur returned the smile and took her suitcase from her.

"Shall we?" Eames asked, walking towards the exit. Arthur could tell he was tense and scanning the airport for any signs of danger. He followed, Ariadne falling into pace beside him.

"Hey Arthur?" he looked down into her big brown eyes.

"Yes?"

"It's good to see you again."

Eames turned and winked at Arthur before speeding up down the hall. Arthur shook his head


End file.
